Fable 2: Blade, The Hero of Bowerstone
by Nosaki 'Halfbreed' Shulon
Summary: Surviving a traumatic experience, a young boy by the name of Sparrow was raised and trained by a blind seer named Theresa. Taking the name of Blade, he heads out into the world with his Bloodhound companion, Sage, to discover what it is he really wants from life and the world he lives in.
1. Prologe

"No, wait… don't… NOOOO!"

Bang.

Thump.

This was the sound of a small body that was launched away from the tallest structure in Bowerstone and after hitting a nearby rooftop, hitting the cold, hard stone ground. Though most would have died from such a fall, and would have preferred it to the alternative, this tiny form still held the slightest bit of life to it. And it was mere moments after said body hit the ground, a bloodhound dog found it, worried for its safety. The dog was followed closely by a hooded feminine figure, whose voice seemed to echo in the small child's ears, saying:

"Death is not your destiny today, little Sparrow."

The child known as Sparrow would wake up to the face of the blind old woman he had met only hours before the worst experience of his life. Hearing a familiar whimper at his side, he would find that the dog he and his sister met was there as well. This would come to help in his healing, both for his body and his grief.

The old woman, a seer that would later introduce herself as Theresa, would continue to look after the boy, and as his body healed, she would offer him guidance and training. Whether to take revenge on who caused his pain, or to serve justice to those in need, she would inform him that it was his choice alone, that she could only help him gain the means to do what he wished.

As time passed, the boy showed he had a sharp mind and a natural talent for using weapons of the basic sort. Later, and with Theresa's help, Sparrow would suggest ideas on how to invest what gold he had either borrowed or earned with the gypsies they often stayed and camped with. Most of these ideas would turn out to be wise investments and soon Sparrow had a fair sum to his name. To avoid any chance that the one who caused the boy so much pain would find him, Theresa suggested the boy take on a title for himself and his investments. Sparrow saw the wisdom in her words, and chose a title from the ones she had learned of from her travels.

Though he would always tell his closest friends of his real name as Sparrow, he decided to be called Blade.


	2. Chapter 1

A young lad, no older than 18 with long shaggy hair and wearing pauper clothing, stood on a wooden bridge overlooking the gateway into the Gypsy Camp. He rather liked this spot. It had a nice view of the land and Bower Lake. As he took a deep breath of fresh air, the now familiar voice of Theresa called out to him from nearby.

"Ah, there you are. And your faithful friend, too," she said when she somehow noticed that Sage, the bloodhound dog, was next to the lad. Said dog gave a bark in response to being noticed.

Turning back to the boy, now young man, Theresa said, "Many years ago, I promised I would help you avenge your sisters death, either by justice or revenge. That day has come, Sparrow."

Sparrow straightened up at hearing this and gave Theresa his undivided attention. Theresa continued, saying, "Today, you'll leave the safety of this camp and seek out Lucien. The journey will not be easy. But I think you are ready to begin."

Sparrow nodded his head with determination in his eyes. He was ready. As recent years passed, he found himself growing restless and was eager to go out and explore when he could. Though at time he did leave the camp with some others to walk around Bower Lake, he was never really alone, and was limited in what he was able to see and experience. But now he would be able to roam and explore wherever his heart desired.

"There is a chest beside your caravan," Theresa said, "I've left some things inside that might prove useful to start your journey. Meet me by the gates when you are ready to leave."

With that, Theresa began to walk towards the gates of the camp. Sparrow looked behind him towards the camp. Eagerness overriding cautiousness, he looked down and made sure no one was below him before jumping the side of the bridge and landing inside of the gates. Having done this before, Sparrow knew that Sage would either jump as well or make his way around and catch up to him.

Sparrow got to the first caravan that he had earned while living with the Gypsies. He found the chest and looked inside, finding a number of things to get one ready to travel. Some medicines and potions, for him and Sage, a new collar for Sage to where out on the open roads, and a rather worn crossbow and longsword.

As Sparrow examined the weapons, he decided that he would need to buy new equipment in the first town he could get to. They were worn, slightly rusted in some areas, and the crossbow would fall apart if he misused it any. Not to say he wasn't grateful to Theresa, but it just wasn't quality weapons. Thankfully, he had enough gold for said equipment when he got to town.

_Maybe I should start in Bowerstone, since its closest, _Sparrow thought to himself. Grabbing his new, or new-ish, equipment, Sparrow turned to Sage and put the new collar on him, the bloodhound not putting up a struggle, evening seeming to enjoy the new accessory. Sage was a very smart dog, as Sparrow noticed over the years. He was brave, but knew when he couldn't pounce into a fight. And he always behaved. Sparrow counted himself lucky to have such a good companion.

Sparrow and Sage met Theresa at the gate, where she had him follow her out of camp. "Here," she said, "Take this." In his hand Sparrow now held some kind of round object, a seal of some sort. 'Seeing' his confusion, Theresa explained, "It is a powerful artifact, the kind of which all Hero's once carried. It will grant you access to places others cannot go. It will also allow me to talk to you, when necessary."

Curious, Sparrow spoke up, which he would rarely do, asking, "How?"

Unperturbed by Sparrow finally speaking, Theresa answered, "Through the magic it holds when held by a Hero." They had just reached the edge of a small ledge outside of the camp, overlooking Bower Lake. Theresa gestured to a small island on the lake, and the supposed tomb entrance on it, one Sparrow had seen and wondered about many times. "Now, look down towards the lake. The seal you now carry will allow you to enter that tomb. In its darkest depths lies the Chamber of Fate. You must journey through the tomb and find the Chamber. When you come out again, you will be stronger. Much stronger."

She let that statement drift into silence for a bit, letting it settle in Sparrow's mind. He was no fool. Sparrow knew that one way or another, he would find and face Lucien for what he has done. And in order to do that, he would need to become stronger. He was the strongest person in the Gypsy Camp, but he would need to be much stronger than that in order to face Lucien one day. If that meant traveling an old tomb and looking for a forgotten part of the 'Hero's Guild' Theresa had once told him about, so be it.

"Now go," Theresa said. With a quick look and a nod to her, Sparrow left towards the tomb, Sage following with his tail wagging in excitement.

* * *

It took a bit of swimming, but Sparrow and his companion made it inside the tomb. As soon as the doors closed behind them, Sage began to tremble, as if scared.

"Sh, shhh… Its ok boy," Sparrow spoke softly to his only friend as he patted his head, "Hey now, its ok. Don't worry." Sage perked up a bit at hearing his friend's voice and his trembling stopped, mostly. Sparrow stood back up and started to talk further into the tomb when he heard Theresa's voice echo out of nowhere, "Don't be alarmed," _Too late for that,_ Sparrow thought, looking around, "I am speaking to you through the Guild seal I gave you."

Sparrow pulled out the seal and looked at it as he walked. It glowed, if only slightly. _So that's what she meant before,_ he thought. Hearing Sage bark, Sparrow looked up and stopped immediately before he would have fell into a large hole in the ground.

Looking down, he heard Theresa's voice say, "You'll need to jump down into that hole to continue. Don't worry, the water at the bottom will break your fall."

Having just seen the water himself, Sparrow looked at the seal in his hand, which had stopped its very light glow. Looking back and forth between it and the water at the bottom, he thought, _How does she do that?!_

He then put away the seal and looked at Sage, who was looking down at the water himself. "Follow me, Sage," Sparrow said before he dived headfirst down the hole and into the water. It was cold, but not too cold. Beside him there was a splash that told him Sage had indeed followed him. They quickly found a shore near a hole in the wall that lead out of the area they were in. Finding themselves at a small ledge, Sparrow and Sage jumped down.

As soon as they hit the ground, Sparrow heard the ground shift and saw it move ahead of them to reveal a dozen or so beetles. The beetles took quick notice of them and began to charge. Thinking quickly, Sparrow pulled out his splintered crossbow and began to fire an arrow at a time at the beetles. Even hitting a beetle with every arrow, a number of them made it too close. Before they could attack, though, Sparrow put away his crossbow and quickly grabbed his longsword, slashing at the beetles within range.

It wasn't long before all the beetles were dead and Sparrow and Sage made their way through the caverns of the tomb. Around almost every corner, beetles would come out and try to attack them. But between Sage, arrows from a crossbow and Sparrow's sword, they feel quickly. The few times the beetles started to gain the advantage, Sparrow would feel something in his mind, tugging at him. Almost like he was supposed to do something, or at least something else besides use his sword. This feeling got stronger as they continued through the caves, but Sparrow couldn't figure out what it was.

* * *

After going through a side cave and browsing through what once appeared to be a library, Sparrow turned a corner and found himself looking at a stone bridge leading to a underground stone dome with every little light coming through the cracks in the roof. Right as he guessed what this place was, he heard Theresa talking to him again.

"Beyond these broken doors lies the Heroes' Guild."

Walking towards the doorway across the bridge, Sparrow couldn't help but feel a since of… something, entering through here. Awe, maybe, at finding something so old yet important, but also something familiar. As he walked inside the dome, he looked around at the paintings along the walls while listening to Theresa's voice.

"For centuries, this academy trained the most supremely gifted sons and daughters of Albion, bound together by the blood that flowed in their veins. Once worshiped by the people of Albion, the great Heroes came to be feared and hated. No man alive today remembers the night the Guild burned. And now it lies forgotten."

Sparrow could hear some emotion in Theresa's voice as she said the last part. Almost like she could remember that night. As a seer, it wouldn't be that surprising. As he continued to look around, Sparrow noticed how some of the portraits around the walls spoke of battles and triumphs, but others showed confusion or pain.

"But the Heroes are not all gone. You are here. And that same heroic blood flows through you. Look around at these walls, little Sparrow. Your forebear – one of the mightiest Heroes who ever lived."

Sparrow looked and noticed how similar the main characters all were in the portraits. He came from that man's bloodline?

"At a young age, he suffered a devastating loss… from which he never truly recovered. But when the world tried to crush him, he fought back. He grew strong, strong enough to reshape the world as he saw fit. And you must do the same."

Seeing something out of the corner of his eye, Sparrow turned and noticed a light in the very center of the room. Walking up a few steps, Sparrow noticed the same symbol on the floor that he saw 10 years ago in Castle Fairfax. The same one Lucien had him and his sister stand on that night. _Was this where he got it from?_ Sparrow wondered, but doubted for some reason.

"The Guild has reacted to you," Theresa continued. "Step into the light. Learn the true power of Heroes."

Hesitating for a moment, like he did 10 years ago, Sparrow stepped onto the symbol and into the light. Suddenly he felt power coursing through his body, even lifting him into the air. In his mind he felt that same feeling as when he was fighting the beetles, that nagging at the back of his head. He knew what it was now. It was the power that belongs to Heroes. The same power that belonged to him. As he felt himself gain that knowledge and power, he couldn't help but give a shout of passion at the power he now felt.

"Your blood is awakening… You can now channel your experience into the three key elements of Heroes: Strength, Skill or Will. Strength improves weapon and hand-to-hand combat. Skill allows you to shoot faster and more accurately. Will gives you control over the forces of magic."

Magic. As it would anyone else, that word caught Sparrows attention. Although it caught his childish mind at what it could mean, it also resonated in his mind. It was like something he knew all along. When he focused on that feeling, Sparrow could almost feel that power, that magic in his hands.

"Before you is a cullis gate," Theresa said. Looking ahead at the other end of the room from which he had entered, Sparrow saw a round platform like area with a goldish center. "It reacts to the Will of one who seeks to use it. You have not been able to use Will before now, but the simple act of reaching here has given you Will experience. By now you have felt it within you. Reach deep within yourself and find that power. Focus it as you see fit."

Though he was still a bit unsure about this sudden change, Sparrow did as she said. He reached in and found the power. He focused on it, letting it work through his body. Instead of fighting with it and trying to force it out, Sparrow let it work on its own. As he did so, he could almost feel knowledge enter his mind on what to do. Without thinking, Sparrow opened his eyes and focused on his right hand, before thrusting his hand out and towards the gold center of the platform. Anyone could see and hear the air move towards the platform before it hit with a loud bang, easily blowing away any dust and small rocks that may have been on the platform.

And right before his eyes, the platform- no, the cullis gate, was now glowing blue. Walking towards it, he heard Theresa begin talking once more.

"Excellent. Now you are ready to begin your journey. Use the cullis gate to travel back to Bower Lake."

Looking back towards his quiet companion since entering the Chamber of Fate, Sparrow saw Sage merely wagging his tail, obviously happy just to be around him, no matter where or what was going on it seemed. Sparrow smiled, knowing all this hasn't chased away his friend. Turning back towards the cullis gate, Sparrow looked at the hand he had used to activate it.

_So, this is the power the ancient Heroes once possessed?_ he thought to himself. _If I continue to train myself and can master this power, maybe I'll have a chance to really face Lucien one day. And make him pay for his crimes._ Sparrow looked up at the blue glow of the cullis gate with new determination.

One thing Theresa didn't mention was _how_ to use a cullis gate. But if it was anything like what he has seen twice now, he at least had an idea. Stepping into the light of the cullis gate, Sparrow thought on the power he had just learned to use and focused on him and Sage going back to Bower Lake. He then heard what sounded like a chime of some kind and the light of the cullis gate get brighter before it dimmed again, and he found himself on top of a small mountain known as Heroes Hill, right next to Bower Lake.

* * *

_So instead of continuing to work on my Mass Effect story, I started this one. I havent forgotten Mass Effect, oh no, but I just do not like how the writing for it has gone so far. I plan to take another look at it, but first I need to keep writers-block away. I figured this was as good a start as any. I've always wanted to take a different look at Fable 2. _

_There wont be too much variation from the Canon of Fable 2's storyline, just more personalization of it. Some tweaks, if you will. Hope you enjoy it! (yes, oh yes, this is a pun!)_

_-halfbreed_


	3. Chapter 2

One thing Theresa didn't mention was _how_ to use a cullis gate. But if it was anything like what he has seen twice now, he at least had an idea. Stepping into the light of the cullis gate, Sparrow thought on the power he had just learned to use and focused on him and Sage going back to Bower Lake. He then heard what sounded like a chime of some kind and the light of the cullis gate get brighter before it dimmed again, and he found himself on top of a small mountain known as Heroes Hill, right next to Bower Lake.

Before he could take the time to really appreciate what had just happened, Sparrow heard Sage, who had indeed come with him through the cullis gate, growling. Looking around them, Sparrow noticed a number of beetles all around, and they had noticed him as well.

Theresa apparently noticed the same thing somehow, because he then heard her voice saying, "Use your newfound abilities to defeat them!"

_Good idea,_ Sparrow thought. This was the perfect way to practice. So he quickly began to focus on the power he had just learned to use. Right as Sage began to bark at the closest beetle, Sparrow let the power rush into his had and pushed it towards the beetle. It quickly died from the attack. Feeling more familiar with it, Sparrow continued to push out with his power, the energy forcing its way through the air and impacting the beetles, tearing their weak bodies apart.

Unfortunately, Sparrow heard buzzing coming from behind him, making him realize he had let some slip behind him. Without thinking on it, he quickly focused his power into his both his hands and pushed it down to the ground and let it flow outwards from there. The impact forced back or killed the beetles nearby, one hitting one of three stone pillars that sat on Heroes Hill, killing it as well.

When all the beetles were dead, Sparrow took a few breaths and thought back at to what he just did. That… area attack he just did, it came so natural to him. Like back in the Chamber of Fate, when he first focused on that… Force Push attack, it was like he had already known it long before then. If this is how this power will work, then he would need to learn how to use and control it as it came to him.

"Nicely done," he heard Theresa say. "Make your way to Bowerstone. I will meet you there."

_Convenient enough for me, then, _Sparrow thought. Bowerstone was as good a place to start as any and he had thought of going there even before he left the Gypsy Camp. It also helped that he had a few contacts in Bowerstone from when Theresa helped him to invest some of his gold. It would be good to finally meet them in person.

* * *

"Apologies, citizen," a guard said from on top a barricade, "The road to Bowerstone is closed due to bandit activity. I'm afraid that so long as the bandit Thag is alive, the road stays closed."

_What? Really? _Sparrow thought to himself. He needed to get into Bowerstone and see what Theresa wanted. _Well that's just great, _he thought with a silent huff.

The guard apparently noticed his reaction and called out as Sparrow started to walk away, saying, "You know, if you're in a hurry-like, you could always take care of Thag yourself!"

_Maybe I can, _Sparrow thought as he decided to pull out his Guild Seal. As he did, he heard Theresa's voice again, saying, "So, the road to Bowerstone is closed."

He really had to figure out how she does that…

"It would seem Thag has been capturing traders on their way to the Bower Lake camp. He is a danger to all and must be dealt with. With your new power, you should be able to defeat him and his gang and continue your quest."

"You want me to defeat his gang?" Sparrow asked the seal, accurately assuming Theresa would hear him. _Hell, if she can see and hear everything else around me, then she can hear me ask a question,_ he thought to himself. It wasn't so much a question as to whether he should kill or not. He had the misfortune, or perhaps is was fortunate depending on how one viewed it, of having to kill a bandit that tried to attack some of the Gypsies they lived with. They were coming back from a walk through the woods when they were attacked. Sparrow happened to be nearby, and in the end, he had killed the bandit before said bandit could hurt anyone. He was quiet for days afterwards until he could overcome the feeling of his first kill, and accept that he would have to kill even more in order to reach Lucien. With that thought in mind, he made a vow never to harm an innocent if at all possible.

"Yes, these bandits will be a good test for your skills. Much better than the beetles you have faced. No doubt they're at Thag's camp near Bower Lake. Go left along the lake and follow the path until you find it."

Nodding more to himself than to the seal in his hand, Sparrow put it away and turned towards Bower Lake. An hour or so later, Sparrow and Sage found themselves looking at the entrance to a camp, most likely Thag's. Walking in slowly, Sparrow noticed that there wasn't anyone to be seen. Where was everyone? Should there be at least one person here to guard the camp?

Sparrow about jumped when he heard Theresa say to him, "Keep your wits about you. It may be a trap."

Once he caught his breath, Sparrow continued further into the camp. Right as he noticed a caged wagon, and the people inside of it, Sage started to growl as he smelled someone else nearby.

Before he could do anything else, the two people in the cage, gypsies by the looks of them, called out, "Look out! Its an ambush!" Not long after they said that, bandits began to jump down from the trees around the camp, all giving a war cry or shouting something about protecting the camp and loot.

Sparrow pulled out his sword and waited for the bandits to make the first move. Unlike with the beetles, he made sure to watch for those trying to sneak around behind him. He didn't want to wait long before one of them charged forward and began to swing his sword. Sparrow pulled back just a bit and then slashed his own sword at the bandit before he could attack again, fatally wounding him. Swinging back around quickly, Sparrow blocked another bandit's downward slash before kicking him hard in the stomach and away from him.

Seeing a bandit charging too close for a proper block or counter attack, Sparrow used his Force Push and aimed it right at the bandit's head. Being hit with that attack mid-charge knocked him completely off balance, causing the bandit to flip over a time or two before hitting the ground with a thump. Turning back to the bandit he had kicked, Sparrow brought his sword up and to the left hard, slicing and killing the bandit as he tried to get back up.

Suddenly two more bandits dropped down from the trees right next to him, ready to cut him down. Focusing his energy, Sparrow quickly threw his Force Push downwards, knocking both of them off their feet, one of them landing onto an unfinished wooden log that was to be part of the camp fence. It was unfinished, but it had been sharpened.

Sparrow looked back and saw the bandit that had flipped over before now up and charging at him. At the last second Sparrow stepped aside and the bandit slashed at where he was before. Sparrow then brought his own sword down onto the bandits back, killing him. The last bandit gave a cry of anger and started to charge at Sparrow. Deciding to try and see how strong his Will attack could be, Sparrow started to launch Push after Push at the bandit. He took quite a few hits and managed to stay on his feet, but the bandit didn't make it close before one hit managed to break a bone in just the wrong place.

Hearing Sage growling and barking, Sparrow looked and found his friend at the only cabin in the camp, looking like he was ready to attack whoever was on the other end of the door. Suddenly the door busted apart, and with an even louder cry than the other bandits, a man with animal skin draped over himself kicked at Sage, knocking him off the porch of the cabin and hit the ground hard.

"SAGE!" Sparrow cried out at seeing his friend be attacked like that.

"No one defies Thag the Impatient!" growled out the large form of Thag. Sparrow merely looked at him with pure anger at hurting his dog. "I'll gut you myself! I'll give you three seconds to get ready… No wait, two! Oh, soddit! ARRGHH!"

With that last cry Thag charged at Sparrow with his blade ready to cut him down. Sparrow merely waited a moment before using Push to try and flip Thag over like the first bandit. Unfortunately, Thag was a lot of tougher than the other bandits and just keep coming. Sparrow managed to block and dodge every attack, if only barely. Once or twice he heard the fabric of his pauper-clothing tear from the edge of Thag's sword. Sparrow managed to get a good hit or kick in, but Thag seemed to shrug most of them off.

Finally, there was a small break in the fight. Sparrow panted a bit while looking over his opponent. He was big and with his self title of Impatient, that meant his balance was going to be off. If he could get one or two really good hits in, then he could take Thag down. Maybe if he…

Seeing Thag ready to charge again, Sparrow waited until the last possible moment to step back and let Thag swing hard and miss him. While his sword was down, Sparrow focused his Will into his hand and punched Thag in the face while using Push at the same time. Thag suddenly lurched to the side from the hit. While he was distracted, Sparrow used all his Will to strengthen another Push into the back of Thag's knee, forcing the bandit onto the ground. Sparrow then brought his sword up with both hands and used all his strength to bring it down onto Thag's barely exposed neck.

There was a light thump on the ground before a bigger one hit after it.

Panting and sweating a bit, Sparrow let go of his sword and turned towards his friend. Sage was whimpering, but sitting up, favoring his side that he landed on. Kneeling next to him, Sparrow pulled out something that Theresa had left in that chest near his caravan back at the Gypsy Camp.

"Here, boy," Sparrow said softly to his best friend, holding the lid of the container to Sage, "Drink this. It will make you feel better."

Sage, still whimpering, brought his head to the elixir and used his tongue to lap it up. After he had some, Sparrow put the elixir away and watched and Sage could immediately start to put wait on his legs again. There was even a glow as the elixir took effect. In only a minute, Sage was back up and barking excitedly by Sparrow's side. Smiling and petting the bloodhound, Sparrow stood back up and looked to the two gypsies in the cage.

"Thag keeps the key to the cage in his hut. I think its in a chest!" said the man inside. Nodding, Sparrow made his way inside the cabin Thag came out of. As he looked around, finding the key and grabbing any gold Thag wouldn't need anymore, Theresa's voice spoke up, saying, "Well done. I will tell the guards of Thag's death. With the threat removed, the road to Bowerstone can be reopened. I will meet you by the clock tower there."

When Sparrow walked out of the hut, he found another bandit looking character standing by the cage. "Oi, mate! Don't even think about letting them out. Those slaves belong to me. I paid for 'em."

Seeing Sparrow start to glare at him, the bandit said, "Look, I don't want any trouble. Just give the key to me, and I'll make it worth your while."

"No!" shouted the male gypsy in the cage, "Don't listen to him!"

"Shut up!" retorted the bandit with a sneer.

Sparrow merely walked towards the cage, key in hand. The woman in the cage spoke up as he came to them, saying, "You wouldn't do that to us, would you, Sparrow?"

He looked up at them, then back to the bandit, before he put the key into the hole and unlocked the cage, saying, "My name is Blade."

Looking at them, Sparrow could see that they both understood what he meant. He opened the door and helped them out, much to the disbelief of the bandit, who was stuttering now.

"You had better get on back to camp," Sparrow said to them. They both nodded and ran off, talking to each other all the way.

"You're a nutter, you hear? A nutter!" the bandit cried before he brought out a blade and charged at Sparrow. Bringing out his own sword, Sparrow, now finally Blade, quickly blocked the bandits sword before using Push to knock him back a few times. As the bandit charged back at him, Blade let his Will focus in his hand until the bandit was right at him, then released his Push attack, picking up the bandit and knocking him to the ground with a loud thump. The bandit didn't get back up after that.

* * *

"Apparently someone killed off that bandit leader," said the same guard that Blade talked to before. It seemed the guard remembered him from when he tried to pass through. As Theresa said, the road was now open again and people were traveling through. "I'd like to shake the hand of the bloke who did it."

Blade merely gave the guard a friendly wave and a small smile as he made his way towards Bowerstone.

* * *

_Well, Hope ya'll liked this chapter. I'm falling behind a bit on keeping this typed up before I post them. There may be a bit of a longer wait for some more chapters until I get to typing them up some more. _

_Do please comment about anything, i'll take all kinds of input._

_-halfbreed_


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